That Ker-splat
by skwirelygurli
Summary: Austin and Ally try to prove to themselves that they are just friends. Post Gf&GF. Auslly.


**That Ker-splat, an Austin and Ally one-shot**

**I do not own Austin and Ally. As requested by Nd4ff. Please leave reviews and requests.**

Usually Ally is one to hate distractions. But when it comes under the guise of her old friend Elliot, and he's distracting her from the one boy she's not supposed to have feelings for, she can't say that it bothers her. Which it should, because she's ignoring her best friend.

Her best friend who only likes her as his best friend.

He doesn't stay for long. Soon she's hugging him goodbye, lingering in his arms. It's nice. Leaning into the hug, bodies pressed together as a smile crosses his face, she feels like she's hugging a friend.

Why can't she feel this way with Austin? It'd make things a whole lot easier.

Now she's stuck tuning the guitars to keep herself busy. Her fingers always return to those same chords.

There's no way I can make it without you...

Every time she hits that line her fingers stop. Along with it, her heart. Only for a second, but it's a second too long.

Isn't falling in love supposed to get easier? You can only fall for so long before finally hitting the ground.

Ally's still waiting for that ker-splat.

Trish helps her through the rest of the week. She's become a bit overprotective of her, knowing how fragile her heart has become. They start hanging out more, giving her any reason not to have free time. The more time she has to think about him, the closer she is to face planting on the pavement.

Ally doesn't want to go ker-splat.

It's not until early Saturday that she thinks of those words again. She wakes from her sleep to write something in her song book. Groping for her lamp on the bedside table, she turns the light on. Her eyes take a moment to adjust.

When she opens the book, a paper falls out.

Why did she think it would be a good idea to put that there?

There's no way I can make it without you. -Austin

Just as she thought the idea had permanently flown from her head, it comes back, like a bird returning from its winter migration. Except she knows the bird is going to fly away again.

She can't say the same for these feelings.

_Nine in the morning: Formulate a question._

For Ally, the question comes easily. Is Austin just a friend?

What she doesn't know is that somewhere in the Moon household, Austin has his own question. It's not as easy for him. To admit he has a question means admitting that he is curious. He should not be wondering about these things while he's dating Kira.

Nor should he while he's eating breakfast, because any sudden realizations may lead to choking on his pancakes, which are steaming hot.

Does he love Ally?

He's going to forget he even asked.

_Nine forty: Conduct research._

She opts to walk to the mall today. The fresh air will do her good to clear her head.

The first moment to pop into her head is their duet. He had been so thrilled that she sang with him, telling her it wanted to happen again. Then soon after he had said it would be weird if they were dating. She had agreed with him at the time.

So why is she smiling now as she remembers holding his hand as they bungee jumped off the bridge?

And why is it not fading as she recalls him sneaking out of the house because he couldn't let her down?

Okay, she is going to stop thinking about all the wonderful things he has done. For one, there are too many to count. For another, if she grins any wider, the drivers that pass are going to think she is crazy. One of them being the Moon's car, and she does not want to explain that one to them.

They honk and wave like royalty. She waves back as they head away from the mall.

Austin himself is on foot. He needs the fresh air more than she does.

Things were all fine and dandy until they were practicing that perfect date, and he scooched over. When he had said perfect, he meant it. In that, whoa-I'm-going-to-throw-up-in-a-good-way-if-there-is-such-a-thing kind of way.

Since then, he doesn't know what to think. He hasn't had much time with her. First there was Elliot. The suave camper boy who thought it was alright to hug her like they were best friends, not some reacquainted friends who would not see each other for another how many years. It's his job to stoop down as she stands on the tips of her toes to wrap her arms around his neck. No one else's. Even with him gone, he hasn't gotten to see her as often as he used to.

He misses her.

_Ten ten: Make a hypothesis._

By the time she's behind the counter, she's managed to get her smile under control. There is one fact that bogs it down.

Austin is dating Kira.

Therefore, she is his friend, and nothing more to him.

Austin takes the long way to the store. He needs more fresh air, and breathing in her scent is not going to clear his mind. If anything, it'll muddle it.

Sitting at a table in the food court, he thinks about it. He's dating a really pretty girl. There's no reason to be thinking about another girl. Not one who made his heart beat out of his chest, tucked under his arm.

Not one whose necklace reads Ally.

He must have been thinking about Kira, anticipating their date. Surely he was picturing a different girl at his side. It was just his overactive imagination.

Yeah, that's it. (No it's not, but that's what he's going to tell himself.)

Ally is a friend.

_Ten thirty: Test the hypothesis._

Walking into Sonic Boom, he goes straight up to her. There are no customers to tend to, no Trish to talk to, no guitars to tune. It's not like he wants to trap her. It's that this seems like his chance to stop missing her.

And since he can't stop missing her by forgetting her, talking to her is the only way.

"Hey Ally." He places his hands on the counter.

Her breath catches. Luckily he doesn't hear it, and she quickly composes herself. She had thought she was alone, and now he's so close that she can count his eyelashes.

Not that she wants to take all that time to look at his eyes. She should be answering him. "Oh, hi Austin."

"What are you doing today?" he asks.

Why does he find the need to not distance himself from her?

"Well, I was going to-"

"Hang out with me," he cuts her off. "Seriously Ally, I haven't seen you in forever."

"You saw me yesterday." She heads for the guitar display. She will distract herself, and she will not play that tune. Not in front of him.

He takes her wrist to stop her. "Barely. You're always so busy."

She sighs. His hand isn't budging.

"I'm sorry. I've just had a lot to do these past couple of days. I promise we can do something today." Feeling the grip loosen around her wrist, she hugs him.

His body molds to hers more than Elliot's ever did. She tells herself she is going to pull away after three seconds.

In that case, she'd consider this three hugs.

_Twelve fifteen: Test the hypothesis._

Kira meets him for lunch. They're sitting in Melody Diner. With the menu propped in front of him, he can't see her face. He doesn't know if he wants a hot dog or chicken pot pie.

"Ally-" he starts. Then he realizes that she isn't the girl across from him. Time to cover his butt. "-says that the mac n' cheese is really good. Y'know, since you don't like meat."

That was too close.

Her menu gets set down on the table. It occurs to him that he doesn't know why she doesn't eat meat. It could be a matter of taste, or ethics. She could be one of those animal cruelty people. Which don't get him wrong, is all fine. He's all for not wearing furs or beating dogs. But he's really craving that hot dog now.

"Sounds good."

Mindy comes by to take their order. He asks for two mac n' cheeses.

It's better to be safe than sorry.

_One in the afternoon: Analyze the evidence._

She finishes assembling a guitar. Having checked the drawings on the instructions, she's sure she has it right this time. She strums. It works.

No, don't play that tune.

There's no way I can make it without you...

She will not slam her newly constructed guitar into the floor out of frustration. She has spent way too long on it.

The guitar gets gently set on the counter. The other side of the counter, where she is too far to pick it up in a sudden burst of rage. Or whatever extreme emotion it may be.

Because when she thinks about it, she isn't angry. She's confused, and there's a lurking warm and fuzzy feeling from when they hugged.

There is no way he is just a friend.

She isn't the only confused one. Austin is walking back from his date, thinking about what happened. How could he call her Ally?

Well, he knows that he did it with his mouth, but that's not what he means. He can't see why his mouth would say her name instead of the name of his girlfriend. They are so different from each other.

Ally loves pickles. Kira had seen one on the plate of a nearby customer and gagged.

Ally likes romantic films in the park. Kira would rather play video games in his best friend's basement. Sure, he has a nice television, but shouldn't he find it odd that neither of them mind Dez tagging along as they slay zombies? More than once it has happened.

And more than once he hasn't cared.

He's still craving that hot dog.

_One thirty: Peer review._

Trish approaches Ally, taking the screw driver from her hand.

"What?" She snaps up. There was no way she had been day dreaming again.

"What is with you today? You are really out of it." Her eyes drop to the half built guitar in front of her. The strings are in the wrong order.

Ally gets to work removing the strings. "Remember when I promised you I was fine?"

Trish doesn't say anything. Instead, she round the counter, enveloping Ally in a hug.

This time she's the one that has to bend down.

"Can I ask you something?" Ally says, reaching for her book.

"Yeah."

"When you bought all those flowers for Austin, who wrote the card?"

_One fifty: Peer review._

"Dez, where have you been?" Here he's been in crisis mode, and his best friend has been missing all morning.

"There was an angry squirrel outside my house. He kept throwing things at people."

"What'd you do?"

Dez pulls out his camera. "I filmed him. Wanna see?"

His curiosity is piqued, but there are more important things to discuss.

"Later." He pauses to collect his thoughts. "Hey Dez, can I ask you a question?"

"Sure thing buddy." He places his camera back in his bag. Once the zipper is pulled shut, it's quiet.

He leans forward. The whole mall does not need to hear about his dilemma.

Voice low, he says, "Why were you so happy when you thought I was Ally's secret admirer?"

"Because you two obviously like each other," he replies, at normal volume.

"We're just friends."

"The Nile's not just a river in Egypt."

"It's de-Nile."

"So you admit you're in denial!"

He should have thought this through more.

_Three twenty: Retest the hypothesis for more evidence._

As promised, they do spend time together. They're in the practice room, seated steps away from that spot on the floor. The one where they had a moment.

It was a private moment (if he doesn't count the rubber duck staring at him from its seat on the shelf) until Dez had come in. Thank goodness for that.

The duck can't see them at the piano. It can't see when their hands accidentally touch.

It can't see how his face is tingeing pink, how she looks away shyly.

"Hey Ally?"

Someone please put their hand over his mouth before he regrets it.

"Yeah?" She moves her hand away, scribbling something down in her book. He doesn't know if it's lyrics, or a melody or a note to herself. For all he knows she could be reminding herself to buy bread on the way home. She could have felt nothing. Not that day on the blanket, not now as they touch hands.

And definitely not that day that she hugged Elliot.

He had felt things, and he wasn't even the one hugging.

Things like jealousy.

"What if we-" Kiss? Go out? Live happily ever after? "-do it like this?"

He runs his fingers over the keys, changing the last few notes.

"That could work." She nods, closing her book. Sticking out, he can see the flower card. It's only the tip of it, but he recognizes the 'tin' of his name.

It makes his heart flutter.

With the new arrangement, their hands don't touch. It sounds better, but he misses bumping into her.

"It's perfect." He wraps her up in a hug.

Now this is what he calls physical contact.

_Five twenty: Drawing conclusions._

Ally goes to eat with Trish. They don't invite the boys along. It's time for girl talk.

"I finished my experiment." She pulls a piece of pepperoni off of her pizza. Folding it in half, she sticks it in her mouth.

"About how you feel about him?" They both know that she means Austin.

"Yes, and I've come to a conclusion." A napkin wipes the grease off her fingers.

She sets her slice down. This could be big. "And?"

"I still like Austin." Trish squeals in delight. "But he only sees me as a friend."

Her face drops. It's so hard to be happy for her being in love when it is unrequited. Personally, she thinks the boy is in denial.

Telling Ally that won't do any good. Unless she hears the words from his mouth, it'll only ever be an opinion.

She'd hug her, but she's already taking a bite of her pizza.

"Someday," Trish promises.

She has no doubt she can keep it.

_Five thirty: Drawing conclusions._

He's watching the squirrel footage with Dez. The squirrel chases after an old lady, pelting her with pebbles.

He should be laughing. "You okay man?"

"I think you were right about me being in denial."

"You going to do anything about it?" He pauses the video.

Austin stares at the old lady. She's waving her cane at the squirrel like a sword. Her hat is falling off her head, and her sweater is drooping off her shoulder.

That's how his heart feels. All jumbled and disorderly.

"I'm dating Kira," he says, avoiding the question. "Besides, if she doesn't like me like that, it could ruin everything."

He presses the play button. It's easier to just laugh at the old lady.

Her hat falls off, and soon after, her sweater is halfway down her arm.

There's his heart. A bigger mess by the minute.

_Six at night: Repeat the process again._

Can Ally teach herself not to see Austin in a romantic way? Should Austin break up with Kira and ask Ally out?

Each of them have a question. That's where it begins.

Eventually they'll reach what they think is the conclusion. It could be wrong. Like how Ally thinks that he doesn't think of her in that kind of way. On the contrary, he can't stop.

Then again, she's no scientist.

Maybe this time they'll hit the right conclusions. She'll see she doesn't have to repress these feelings and he'll break it off with Kira. Who knows? Science can't explain love.

Science can't explain how you can fall in love and never hit the ground.

She can wait forever for the great ker-splat.

It will never come.


End file.
